ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A five-run sixth inning and dominant relief pitching lifted the Eckerd baseball team past Florida Tech in the opening game of Saturday's season-ending doubleheader, 11-8.
What had been a back-and-forth affair was solved by
Cameron Lanzilli (1-2) on the mound for the Tritons. After five lead changes, Lanzilli entered in the fifth and was masterful in blanking the Panthers while allowing just three hits over four and two-thirds innings.
With Lanzilli shutting down Florida Tech's offense, Eckerd's bats began to erupt in the sixth inning to take the lead.
Garrett Hiott brought in the first run of the inning with his second double of the game, bringing in
Daniel Autiello.
Terence Hebda followed with an infield single to score
Andrew Don, and Hiott took advantage of an errant throw to also score on the play.
Sam Cochrane capped off the inning blasting a two-run homer to center.
Florida Tech scored first in the game with a run in the first before the Tritons followed with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Back-to-back doubles by Hiott and
Nick Conti scored Eckerd's first run before Cochrane singled down the left-field line for the second run.
Eckerd (20-30, 9-15 SSC) added another two runs in the third as
Mitch Calandra smacked his second home run of the season and
Chase Achuff delivered an RBI single.
FIT's Reid Neal tied the game with a three-run homer in the fourth. Eckerd responded with two runs the next inning from
Tom Buonopane's sacrifice fly and Don scoring off an error.
The Panthers (30-20, 14-10 SSC) used a pair of two-run home runs in the fifth to take an 8-6 lead before being blanked by Lanzillli.
Cochrane led Eckerd going a perfect 3-for-3 as Hiott, Don, and Achuff tallied two hits apiece.
In the series finale, Eckerd rallied again scoring two runs in the third after Florida Tech took and early lead but was shut down the rest of the way in closing the season with a 4-2 defeat.
FIT's three-run fourth inning proved to be the difference as neither team could plate another run from the fifth inning on.
Eckerd's two runs in the third came on an RBI double by Autiello and an RBI single by Hebda.
Robin Allen (3-4) took the loss after four innings of work.
Ben Deaver,
Gardner Nutter, and
Justin Carrillo combined for five innings of relief allowing only one hit.
Buonopane led the team with two hits in the finale.
The games mark the end of the careers for six seniors Don, Deaver, Autiello, Buonopane,
Jack Mahan, and Kristi Parcelli (team manager) who were honored before the game.
